City hall livens up lobby with work by local artists.
By ERIN MEYER emeyer@greenfieldreporter.com
GREENFIELD — To “spruce up” city hall while providing a venue for artists to display and sell their work, the city of Greenfield and CrazyLake Art House are getting creative.
The main lobby of city hall, at the corner of State and Main streets, has become home to 50 original paintings, drawings and photographs by local artists in an exhibit titled “Home is Where the Art Is; Reflections of Life in Indiana.”
“It’s sprucing it up beautifully,” said Larry McGuire, assistant to Mayor Brad DeReamer. “We’ve got a lot of talented people in this community.”
The paintings feature local wildlife and flora, farm scenes and local architecture.
“Because it’s sort of a themed type thing, we thought it would be appropriate for city hall,” said Lee Ann Petropoulos, director of the CrazyLake gallery.
The city is taking a cue from local businesses, including Greenfield Banking Co. and the Greater Greenfield Chamber of Commerce, both of which work to support local artists in cafe-style exhibits. The partnership is also an affordable way for the city to improve on city hall, the walls of which feature little besides the portraits of past mayors.
Steve Smith, a Sugar Creek Township resident who is among 15 artists whose work is featured in the exhibit, said displaying the works in public places helps build community awareness about the arts.
His paintings feature a winter creek, the Riley Home and the old county jail, situated in the building that now houses the prosecutor’s office. “Painting is rewarding for me because it makes me more aware of my surroundings and everyday sense that often go unnoticed,” Smith said.Visitors to city hall interested in an artist or in purchasing a work can getmore information at the mayor’s office. McGuire maintains a list of the works.
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